Burn Wound Infections With Staphylococcus aureus : Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors for Methicillin‐Resistant Strains

This study aimed to systematically delineate the clinical characteristics and identify the key risk factors associated with methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in burn patients, thereby informing targeted preventive measures and therapeutic strategies. This retrospective study included 270 burn patients with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus ) infections at a Chinese centre (2019–2022), comprising 127 MRSA and 143 methicillin‐susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) cases. Clinical data were analysed to assess infection profiles, resistance patterns and MRSA risk factors. Amongst the infections, 68.1% (184/270) were caused by multi‐drug resistant S. aureus , specifically 47.0% (127/270) by MRSA and 21.1% (57/270) by MSSA. The predominant resistance pattern (penicillin, oxacillin, gentamicin, clindamycin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, tetracycline) accounted for 23.9% (44/184) of multidrug‐resistant cases. The overall MRSA detection rate was 47.0% (127/270). Univariate analysis identified multiple factors significantly associated with MRSA infection ( p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified the use of ≥ 3 types of antibiotics as an independent risk factor for MRSA infection in burn wounds. The detection rate of multi‐drug resistant S. aureus (including MRSA) infections in burn wounds is relatively high. A number of variables are the influencing factors for MRSA infections. Medical personnel should adopt infection control measures to block the transmission of multi‐drug resistant bacteria (including MRSA).